Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Learning Dutch is a must!

Dutch contracts and employment law

The Dutch make peace with the water

Dutch u-turn on soft drugs tolerance

A quick guide to Dutch insurance

Report: Expatica's "i am not a tourist" Fair 2009

Expatica opens in the UK!

Amsterdam grapples with integration since filmmaker's murder

Wilders makes half of Dutch Muslims want to emigrate

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Life in Lifestyle The Proposed European Blue Card System

22/01/2008The Proposed European Blue Card System

The European Union's recent proposal aims to attract highly skilled migrants by granting them access to all EU labour markets - but with some important limitations.

The proposal Itself

Guarding the labour market

Unanswered questions

Structural barriers to mobility

National approaches

Creating opportunities

 

In October 2007, the European Union unveiled its proposals for a Blue Card system with a flourish.

Comparable in theory to the US green card, which grants lawful permanent residence based on employment in addition to family relationships or refugee/asylee status, this legislation aims to make Europe a player on the emerging global labour market, enhancing its competitiveness and luring highly skilled workers to Europe — and away from countries like the United States and Australia.

The scheme is based on the rationale that Europe is stronger when it works together to attract skilled workers than as individual Member States. Comparisons are often made with North America. The European Commission itself noted in a memo that, while nonnational highly skilled workers make up 3 percent of the labour force in the United States and 7 percent in Canada, highly skilled non-Europeans form just 1.7 percent of the employed population in Europe.

But there are disparities between EU Member States. While tertiary-educated migrants form nearly half the employed foreign-born population in countries such as Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Sweden, they are a far smaller proportion in southern European countries, such as Greece and Italy according to a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

In theory, a Blue Card system would aim to reduce these differences, and increase Europe's attractiveness as a whole.

0 reactions to this article

participate in the forums
ask your question
find the business you need
Discussion Forums

Discuss Dutch Culture

Hooligans, by wesley-nl

Legal Problems in the Netherlands

Knowledge Migrant (KM) scheme and '3 years rule' clarification, by milos306

Discuss Dutch Culture

Henry Miller, by Stonewall

Netherlands Soapbox

Scooters in the bike lanes, by mkitchell

Science & Technology in the Netherlands

Recommendation for Desktop Repair in Amsterdam, by aprilinamsterdam

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Healthcare in the Netherlands

Healthcare in the Netherlands

Here’s a current guide to health insurance, doctors, dentists and pharmacies.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.

The Netherlands at a glance

The Netherlands at a glance

Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.